U.S. patent number 6,742,030 [Application Number 08/977,297] was granted by the patent office on 2004-05-25 for method to keep a persistent trace of weblink use per user.
This patent grant is currently assigned to International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Margaret Gardner MacPhail.
United States Patent |
6,742,030 |
MacPhail |
May 25, 2004 |
Method to keep a persistent trace of weblink use per user
Abstract
A method of monitoring transmissions across a network by
recording a history of user-selected network transmission requests
to a network client in a trace object, wherein the history of
user-selected network transmission requests includes a trace of one
or more network links, assigning a unique identifier to the trace
object, and saving the trace object. In the embodiment wherein the
network is the Internet, the method records a sequence of links to
sites on the World Wide Web. A web browser can allow toggling
between a logging mode and a non-logging mode, in order to start
and stop recording of link traces. Multiple traces from different
network sessions can thus be merged into a single link sequence
which can thereafter be used to revisit a network link contained in
the history of network transmissions. Different link sequences can
be combined to form procedures. Supervisors (e.g., parents) can
control the creation and maintenance of trace objects and link
sequences by requiring a security signature or password to enable
toggling between the logging and non-logging modes.
Inventors: |
MacPhail; Margaret Gardner
(Austin, TX) |
Assignee: |
International Business Machines
Corporation (Armonk, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
32313367 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/977,297 |
Filed: |
November 24, 1997 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
709/224;
707/E17.112; 709/225; 709/229; 726/3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L
63/12 (20130101); G06F 16/955 (20190101); H04L
63/1425 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04L
29/06 (20060101); A06F 015/173 () |
Field of
Search: |
;709/224,219,203,229,225,220 ;705/10 ;713/201 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
mark.r.brown, using netscape 2, ISBN: 0-7897-0612-1, 1995.* .
Internet Watch Dog (tm)-Internet and Pc monitoring software, ISSN;
1040-6646, Feb. 1996.* .
WinWhatWhere (tracking time and Internet use), by Schultz, Keith
ISSN: 0886-0556, Jun. 1997.* .
ABSI Internet Kit, by Schwerin, Rich ISSN: 0899-1847, May 1996.*
.
Snffing out Internet Abuse, by Rapoza, Jim ISSN: 0740-1604, Jun.
1997.* .
Using Software Corporate to Monitor Internet Use, by Meckbach,
Greg, Jun. 1997..
|
Primary Examiner: Dinh; Dung C.
Assistant Examiner: Salad; Abfullani E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Henkler; Richard A. Van Leeuwen;
Leslie A. Bracewell & Patterson, L.L.P.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of recording transmissions across a network, comprising
the steps of: connecting a client to a network; responsive to a
user input at a user-detemined time during an established network
transmission, toggling on a trace object on said client to trace a
user selection of one or more network links associated with sites
on said network; in response to said toggling on step, dynamically
recording in said trace object on said client a history of
user-selected network transmission requests of the client, wherein
the history of user-selected network transmission requests includes
a copy of said one or more network links represented by hotlinks
that reopens an associated network site responsive to a later user
selection; toggling off said trace object when said recording step
is terminated at a next user-determined time during said network
transmission, wherein only network links selected between said
toggling on and said toggling off steps are saved within said trace
object; assigning a unique identifier to the trace object; saving
the trace object; and revisiting a site associated with a network
link among said one or more network links by selecting the
corresponding hotlink within trace object.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein: said connecting step connects the
client to the Internet; and said recording step records a sequence
of links to sites on the World Wide Web in a single trace
object.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of combining a
first link sequence from the history of user-selected network
transmission requests with a second link sequence to form a
procedure.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said recording step merges
multiple traces from different network sessions into a single link
sequence.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said assigning step includes the
step of selecting an existing trace object for recordation of the
history of a present user-selected network transmission
requests.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of saving the trace
object stores the trace object on a permanent storage device of the
client.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of requiring a
security signature to enable said toggling between said on and off
states.
8. A computer program product comprising: a storage medium adapted
to be read by a computer; and program means stored on said storage
medium for: establishing a connection between the computer (client)
and a network, responsive to a user input at a user-determined
time, allowing a user to control the recording of a history of
network transmissions by toggling between a non-logging mode and a
logging mode, toggling on a trace object on said client to trace a
user selection of one or more network links associated with sites
on said network, recording in said trace object on said client a
history of user-selected network transmission requests of the
client following said toggling on step, wherein the history of
user-selected network transmission requests includes a copy of said
one or more network links represented by hotlinks that reopens an
associated network site responsive to a later user selection of one
of said hotlinks, toggling off said trace object when said
recording step is tested via user input, wherein only network links
selected between said toggling-on and said toggling-off steps are
saved within said trace object, assign a unique identifier to the
trace object, and enabling revisiting of a site associated with a
network link among said one or more network links by a user select
the corresponding hotlink within the trace object.
9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said program
means further includes means for saving the trace object on a
permanent storage device of the computer.
10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said program
means establishes a connection between the computer and the
Internet and records a history of network transmissions of World
Wide Web pages to the computer.
11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said program
means combines a first link sequence from the history of network
transmissions with a second link sequence to form a procedure
responsive to a user request.
12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said program
means merges multiple traces from differ network sessions into a
single link sequence.
13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said program
means assigns the unique identifier by selecting an existing trace
object for recordation of the history of a present user-selected
network transmission requests.
14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said program
means requires a security signature to enable said toggling between
said non-logging mode and said logging mode.
15. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of providing
a supervisor password for access to said trace object, wherein said
trace object can not be accessible or erased from said client
without said password, thus enabling a supervisor to monitor a
usage of said client in accessing network links.
16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein said program
means further comprises the step of providing a supervisor password
for access to said trace object, wherein said trace object can not
be accessed or erased from said client without said password, thus
enabling a supervisor to monitor a usage of said client in
accessing network links.
17. A computer system comprising: a computer program product as
recited in claim 8; and processing resources coupled to said
program product that execute said program means.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer systems, and
more particularly to a method and system for creating, maintaining
and using a history of user-selected network transmission requests
across a computer network. The present invention is adapted for use
with the Internet's World Wide Web, but it is generally applicable
to any computer (client) which receives transmissions across any
type of network.
2. Description of Related Art
A generalized client-server computing network 2 is shown in FIG. 1.
Network 2 has several servers 4, 6, 8 and 10 which are
interconnected, either directly to each other or indirectly through
one of the other servers. Each server is essentially a stand-alone
computer system (having one or more processors, memory devices, and
communications devices), but has been adapted (programmed) for one
primary purpose, that of providing information to individual users
at workstation clients 12. A client is a member of a class or group
of computers or computer systems that uses the services of another
class or group. Clients 12 can also be stand-alone computer systems
(like personal computers, or PCs), or "dumber" systems adapted for
limited use with network 2 (like network computers, or NCs). As
used herein, "PC" generally refers to any multi-purpose computer
adapted for use by a single individual, regardless of the
manufacturer, hardware platform, operating system, etc. A single,
physical computer can act as both a server and a client, although
this implementation occurs infrequently.
The information provided by a server can be in the form of programs
which run locally on a given client 12, or in the form of data such
as files used by other programs. Users can also communicate with
each other in real-time as well as by delayed file delivery, i.e.,
users connected to the same server can all communicate with each
other without the need for the network 2, and users at different
servers, such as servers 4 and 6, can communicate with each other
via network 2. The network can be local in nature, or can be
further connected to other systems (not shown) as indicated with
servers 8 and 10.
The construction of network 2 is also generally applicable to the
Internet. In the context of a computer network such as the
Internet, a client is a process (i.e., a program or task) that
requests a service which is provided by another program. The client
process uses the requested service without having to "know" any
working details about the other program or the service itself.
Based upon requests by the user, a server presents filtered
electronic information to the user as server responses to the
client process.
Conventional protocols and services have been established for the
Internet which allow the transfer of various types of information,
including electronic mail, simple file transfers via FTP, remote
computing via TELNET, gopher searching, Usenet newsgroups, and
hypertext file delivery and multimedia streaming via the World Wide
Web (WWW). A given server can be dedicated to performing one of
these operations, or running multiple services. Internet services
are typically accessed by specifying a unique address, or universal
resource locator (URL). The URL has two basic components, the
protocol to be used, and the object pathname. For example, the URL
"http://www.uspto.gov" (home page for the U.S. Patent &
Trademark Office) specifies a hypertext transfer protocol ("http")
and a pathname of the server ("www.uspto.gov"). The server name is
associated with a unique numeric value (a TCP/IP address, or
"domain").
The present invention relates to the monitoring or recording of the
history of user-selected network transmission requests which have
occurred across a network like the Internet, but is particularly
applicable to the World Wide Web, which provides files that are
conveniently linked for user access. A group of documents (or web
"pages") can be interrelated by providing hypertext links in each
of the files. A hypertext link is an image that is viewable on the
workstation's display, which can be selected by the user (e.g.,
using a pointing device or "mouse") and which then automatically
instructs the client workstation to request another page associated
with that particular hypertext link (i.e., issue another URL). A
hypertext link may appear as a picture, or as a word or sentence,
possibly underlined or otherwise accentuated to indicate that it is
an embedded link and not just normal, informative text. Hypertext
files are commonly written in hypertext markup language (HTML).
A WWW page may have text, graphic (still) images, and even
multimedia objects such as sound recordings or moving video clips.
A hypertext page, if more than just text, is usually constructed by
loading several separate files. For example, the hypertext file
"main.html" might include a reference to a graphic image file
"picture.gif" or to a sound file "beep.wav". When a client
workstation sends a request to a server for a page, the server
first transmits (at least partially) the main hypertext file
associated with the page, and then loads, either sequentially or
simultaneously, the other files associated with the page. A given
file may further be transmitted as several separate pieces via
TCP/IP protocol. The fully constructed page is then displayed on
the workstation monitor. A page may be "larger" than the physical
size of the monitor screen, and techniques such as scroll bars are
used by the network communications software to view different
portions of the page. This software, commonly referred to as a web
browser, provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for transmitting
and receiving information across the Internet.
A wide variety of methods are employed to maintain histories of web
sites visited using a browser. For example, a list of favorite
places, or "bookmarks," can be constructed by clicking on a toolbar
icon in the GUI (or using a pull-down menu command, or a keystroke
combination) to add the current URL to a special file having a list
of URLs which the user might want to repeatedly download, at later
times. Many browsers also maintain a cache of various downloaded
files (main hypertext files, multimedia files, etc., forming
respective pages) so that, if a page is reloaded by the user, the
client computer does not have to actually download the files across
the network again, but can construct the page locally.
Another manner in which a history can be maintained is by keeping a
list or table of every URL which is downloaded by the browser.
These URLs can be, for example, a running trace of pages that were
requested when a user selected a hypertext link, or pages that were
delivered as a result of CGI (Common Gateway Interlace) programs
running at various servers which generated ad hoc HTML pages, or
pages that were requested by manual (keyboard) entry of the URLs.
The history table can be emptied or deleted at the end of a
session, or be saved and the data updated with URLs from future
sessions. Some browsers allow a user to create a bookmark by
selecting an entry in the history table, and then selecting a
"Create Bookmark" icon or button. The URL is then copied from the
history table to the bookmark file. Many browsers also allow a user
to conveniently recall a page from the history table by simply
selecting an entry and then selecting a "Go To" icon or button (or
double-clicking on the entry using a pointer device).
Yet another manner in which a user may be made aware of historical
links is to compare the contents of a history table to hypertext
links that are currently being displayed by the browser (i.e.,
links embedded in the currently loading web page), such that those
links which have previously been visited can be specially
highlighted. This highlighting can take the forming of underlining,
bolding, or changing the color of the previously visited links.
Highlighting of visited links can be made to expire when, e.g., a
certain period of time has passed for the given link (like ninety
days).
Sometimes a user will go through several links in a session, then
end the session, and the history table will be automatically
deleted (or perhaps the user will clear the table as its contents
have gotten excessively large from merging the URLs visited over
many different sessions). Later, the user may wish that a bookmark
had been kept or that a sequence of links had been kept. Recreating
the desired sequence of links can be a difficult and time-consuming
task. Alternatively, a user may wish that no record be kept of a
link or link sequence for privacy reasons, e.g., when the browser
is shared between family members. Conversely, supervisors (or
parents) might like to have a trace of links to see what their
subordinates (or children) have been viewing, even if the
subordinates had cleared the browser's history table/cache. It
would, therefore, be desirable to provide a more flexible method of
organizing and saving link sequences. It would be further
advantageous if the method allowed the sequences to be easily
incorporated into other processes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an
improved method of maintaining a history of user-selected network
transmission requests across a network, particularly to a given
client in a client-server network.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a
method that is adapted for use with the World Wide Web, and
implemented in associated communications software or web
browsers.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a
method wherein link traces can be kept, and sequences of links can
be organized and saved, such that they can be reused and added
together to form procedures.
The foregoing objects are achieved in a method of monitoring
transmissions across a network, generally comprising the steps of
connecting a client to a network, recording a history of
user-selected network transmission requests to the client in a
trace object, wherein the history of user-selected network
transmission requests includes a trace of one or more network links
(representative of user-selected network requests), assigning a
unique identifier to the trace object, and saving the trace object.
The network can be a client-server network such as the Internet,
and the recording step can record a sequence of links to sites on
the World Wide Web. The client uses communications software, such
as a web browser, to interface with the network, and the software
can allow toggling between a logging mode and a non-logging mode,
in order to start and stop recording of link traces. Multiple
traces from different network sessions can thus be merged into a
single link sequence. The sequence can thereafter be used to
revisit a network link contained in the history of user-selected
network transmission requests. A first link sequence from the
history of user-selected network transmission requests can be
combined with a second link sequence to form a procedure.
Supervisors can control the creation and maintenance of trace
objects and link sequences by requiring a security signature to
enable toggling between the logging and non-logging modes.
The above as well as additional objectives, features, and
advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the
following detailed written description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set
forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as
well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages
thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following
detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a conventional computer network, including
interconnected servers and workstation clients;
FIG. 2 is an illustration of one embodiment of a data processing
system in which the present invention can be practiced;
FIG. 3 is a high-level block diagram illustrating selected
components that can be included in the data processing system of
FIG. 2 according to the teachings of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a conceptual illustration of a computer downloading a
network document, such as a page from the World Wide Web of the
Internet;
FIG. 5 is a conceptual illustration of a user's progression between
links during a network session;
FIG. 6 is a conceptual illustration of the creation of a trace
object based on a link trace created from a progression such as
that shown in FIG. 5; and
FIG. 7 is a depiction of a display of a data processing system
which has generated a unique trace object having a network link
sequence in accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT
The present invention is directed to a method of creating,
maintaining and using a history of user-selected network
transmission requests across a computer network, such as the
network of FIG. 1, and particularly to a method and computer
program product for saving and manipulating sequences of links to
sites (pages) on the Internet's World Wide Web (WWW). The invention
may, however, be implemented in other networks besides the
Internet. Therefore, while the present invention may be understood
with reference to FIG. 1, this reference should not be construed in
a limiting sense.
With further reference to FIG. 2, a data processing system 20 is
shown in which the present invention can be practiced. The data
processing system 20 includes processor 22, keyboard 82, and
display 96. Keyboard 82 is coupled to processor 22 by a cable 28.
Display 96 includes display screen 30, which may be implemented
using a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), an
electrode luminescent panel or the like. The data processing system
20 also includes pointing device 84, which may be implemented using
a track ball, a joy stick, touch sensitive tablet or screen, track
path, or as illustrated a mouse. The pointing device 84 may be used
to move a pointer or cursor on display screen 30. Processor 22 may
also be coupled to one or more peripheral devices such a modem 92,
CD-ROM 78, network adapter 90, and floppy disk drive 40, each of
which may be internal or external to the enclosure or processor 22.
An output device such as a printer 100 may also be coupled with
processor 22.
It should be noted and recognized by those persons of ordinary
skill in the art that display 96, keyboard 82, and pointing device
84 may each be constructed using any one of several known
off-the-shelf components.
Reference now being made to FIG. 3, a high level block diagram is
shown illustrating selected components that can be included in the
data processing system 20 of FIG. 2 according to the teachings of
the present invention. The data processing system 20 is controlled
primarily by computer readable instructions, which can be in the
form of software, wherever, or by whatever means such software is
stored or accessed. Such software may be executed within the
Central Processing Unit (CPU) 50 to cause data processing system 20
to do work.
Memory devices coupled to system bus 5 include Random Access Memory
(RAM) 56, Read Only Memory (ROM) 58, and nonvolatile memory 60.
Such memories include circuitry that allows information to be
stored and retrieved. ROMs contain stored data that cannot be
modified. Data stored in RAM can be changed by CPU 50 or other
hardware devices. Nonvolatile memory is memory that does not lose
data when power is removed from it. Nonvolatile memories include
ROM, EPROM, flash memory, or battery-pack CMOS RAM. As shown in
FIG. 3, such battery-pack CMOS RAM may be used to store
configuration information.
An expansion card or board is a circuit board that includes chips
and other electronic components connected that adds functions or
resources to the computer. Typically, expansion cards add memory,
disk-drive controllers 66, video support, parallel and serial
ports, and internal modems. For lap top, palm top, and other
portable computers, expansion cards usually take the form of PC
cards, which are credit card-sized devices designed to plug into a
slot in the side or back of a computer. An example of such a slot
is PCMCIA slot (Personal Computer Memory Card International
Association) which defines type I, II and III card slots. Thus,
empty slots 68 may be used to receive various types of expansion
cards or PCMCIA cards.
Disk controller 66 and diskette controller 70 both include special
purpose integrated circuits and associated circuitry that direct
and control reading from and writing to hard disk drive 72, and a
floppy disk or diskette 74, respectively, which provide permanent
storage of computer data. Such disk controllers handle tasks such
as positioning read/write head, mediating between the drive and the
CPU 50, and controlling the transfer of information to and from
memory. A single disk controller may be able to control more than
one disk drive.
CD-ROM controller 76 may be included in data processing 20 for
reading data from CD-ROM 78 (compact disk read only memory). Such
CD-ROMs use laser optics rather than magnetic means for reading
data.
Keyboard mouse controller 80 is provided in data processing system
20 for interfacing with keyboard 82 and pointing device 84. Such
pointing devices are typically used to control an on-screen
element, such as a graphical pointer or cursor, which may take the
form of an arrow having a hot spot that specifies the location of
the pointer when the user presses a mouse button. Other pointing
devices include a graphics tablet, stylus, light pin, joystick,
puck, track ball, track pad, and the pointing device sold under the
trademark "Track Point" by International Business Machines Corp.
(IBM).
Communication between processing system 20 and other data
processing systems may be facilitated by serial controller 88 and
network adapter 90, both of which are coupled to system bus 5.
Serial controller 88 is used to transmit information between
computers, or between a computer and peripheral devices, one bit at
a time over a single line. Serial communications can be synchronous
(controlled by some standard such as a clock) or asynchronous
(managed by the exchange of control signals that govern the flow of
information). Examples of serial communication standards include
RS-232 interface and the RS-422 interface. As illustrated, such a
serial interface may be used to communicate with modem 92. A modem
is a communication device that enables a computer to transmit
information over standard telephone lines. Modems convert digital
computer signals to interlock signals suitable for communications
over telephone lines. Modem 92 can be utilized to connect data
processing system 20 to an on-line information service, such as an
information service provided under the registered service mark
"PRODIGY". Such on-line service providers may offer software that
can be down loaded into data processing system 20 via modem 92.
Modem 92 may provide a connection to other sources of software,
such as a server, an electronic bulletin board (BBS), or the
Internet (including the World Wide Web).
Network adapter 90 may be used to connect data processing system 20
to a local area network 94. Network 94 may provide computer users
with means of communicating and transferring software and
information electronically. Additionally, network 94 may provide
distributed processing, which involves several computers in the
sharing of workloads or cooperative efforts in performing a task.
Network 94 can also provide a connection to other systems like
those mentioned above (a BBS, the Internet, etc.).
Display 96, which is controlled by display controller 98, is used
to display visual output generated by data 25 processing system 20.
Such visual output may include text, graphics, animated graphics,
and video. Display 96 may be implemented with CRT-based video
display, an LCD-based flat panel display, or a gas plasma-based
flat-panel display. Display controller 98 includes electronic
components required to generate a video signal that is sent to
display 96.
Printer 100 may be coupled to data processing system 20 via
parallel controller 102. Printer 100 is used to put text or a
computer-generated image (or combinations thereof) on paper or on
another medium, such as a transparency sheet. Other types of
printers may include an image setter, a plotter, or a film
recorder.
Parallel controller 102 is used to send multiple data and control
bits simultaneously over wires connected between system bus 5 and
another parallel communication device, such as a printer 100.
CPU 50 fetches, decodes, and executes instructions, and transfers
information to and from other resources via the computers main
data-transfer path, system bus 5. Such a bus connects the
components in a data processing system 20 and defines the medium
for data exchange. System bus 5 connects together and allows for
the exchange of data between memory units 56, 58, and 60, CPU 50,
and other devices as shown in FIG. 3. Those skilled in the art will
appreciate that a data processing system constructed in accordance
with the present invention may have multiple components selected
from the foregoing, including even multiple processors.
Referring now to FIG. 4, one implementation of the present
invention allows data processing system 20 to act as a client, and
to request and receive data transmissions from a network,
particularly from Internet servers. Data processing system 20 has
loaded therein, and executing within CPU 50, a communications
program constructed in accordance with the present invention, such
as a browser, that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) with
Internet 110 on display 30, and particularly with the WWW. By means
of the GUI, a user can request a web page, such as by selecting a
hypertext link in a currently loaded document, or by activating a
CGI program which generates an ad hoc HTML page, or by manual
(keyboard) entry of a URL. FIG. 4 illustrates a web page 112 which
has been loaded on data processing system 20 and a portion of which
is visible on display screen 30.
As further illustrated in FIG. 5, a user creates a trace of one or
more user-selected network transmission requests (e.g., links
(URLs)) during each communications session, as each new page is
downloaded (or requested). The particular order of the URLs may
correspond to a logical progression through a series of hypertext
links, or may have no apparent logical order due to the random
entry of URL requests. The present invention provides the browser
with a set of weblink trace functions to monitor and record weblink
sequences such that link traces can be started and stopped, and
organized into one or more link sequence objects which can be named
and described by the user. These one or more link sequence objects
can then be saved as a reusable entity.
FIG. 6 depicts a weblink trace object 114 from which a link
sequence trace object 116 has been constructed. For example, the
GUI or browser may include an appropriate command to toggle back
and forth between the two modes of logging and non-logging of the
link trace. This log command might be executed by selecting a
pull-down menu item or toolbar icon with pointing device 84, or by
entering a particular keystroke combination on keyboard 82. When
logging is activated, an object name or object-identifier must be
selected for the trace object (an object used to trace, or log, one
or more links activated). If a new trace object is to be
started/created, then a new name can be entered. If a user desires
to supplement an existing trace object, then the name of the
existing trace object can be entered. While logging is active, each
URL that is downloaded (or perhaps requested, regardless of whether
it is successfully downloaded) is added to the list of URLs in the
trace object. In this manner, multiple trace objects (from the same
or different sessions) can be merged into a single link
sequence.
If a user has created a trace object, he or she can later use it in
other ways. FIG. 7 shows a browser 118 wherein a pop-up window 120
has been activated to view a named sequence (e.g., sequence object
116). From this pop-up window, a user may quickly revisit
(download) a particular page by simply double-clicking on an entry,
or by selecting an entry and then selecting the "Go To" button 122.
If a page has not been previously saved in a bookmark-type file,
then it can be added by selecting the entry and then selecting the
"Bookmark" button 124, to allow the user to revisit the site later
by using the bookmark file.
A link sequence can become a procedure by allowing a web browser to
proceed through the links in order. Link sequences can further be
added together to form super- and sub-procedures. These procedures
can be easily incorporated into other processes, such as by using
Java script. For example, link sequences can be created and used by
webmasters and software developers to provide predefined web
sequences, such as a developer's path through an extensive WWW
site.
The foregoing described procedure is illustrated via procedure
object 118. Procedure object 118 contains an ordered collection of
sequence objects 128-132 and (optionally) other procedure objects
134, 136.
The present invention can further be implemented to allow link
tracing to be started and stopped by a supervisor (e.g., parent)
with a security signature (i.e., password). Supervisors might like
to have a trace of links to see what their subordinates (including
children) have been viewing, even if the subordinates had cleared
the browser's history table/cache. The present invention would
retain a supervisor's trace object notwithstanding attempts by
other users to delete the object or modify its contents. Different
trace objects can be kept for individual users sharing a single
workstation.
The illustrative embodiment of the present work has been described
as being implemented via the use of objects. It will be understood
by those within the art that the use of objects is not essential
(e.g. a log file could be used instead of a trace object). However,
implementation via objects gives rise to a number of advantages
such as the advantage of encapsulation (e.g. the ability of
automatically initiating and verifying the links) and component
re-use.
Although the invention has been described with reference to
specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed
in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed
embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments of the invention,
will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference
to the description of the invention. It is therefore contemplated
that such modifications can be made without departing from the
spirit or scope of the present invention as defined in the appended
claims.
* * * * *
References